MEASURING THE SOCIAL TRUST OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE LIGHT OF COMPETITIVENESS – A CASE STUDY IN HUNGARY
MEASURING THE SOCIAL TRUST OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE LIGHT OF COMPETITIVENESS – A CASE STUDY IN HUNGARY

Summary/Abstract: The theory of competitiveness has been undergoing a significant transition even these days. The competitiveness of nations is measured by several institutions dealing with ’soft’ and ’hard’ indices separately. Our study examines one of the very important parts of social capital, i.e. trust based on the results of the questionnaire carried on the population of the Hungarian youth. Answers on social trust and subjective social environment were available from 193 Hungarian young adults. Respondents were categorized by age into three groups: aged 17–21 (n = 101), aged 22–25 (n=55) and aged 26–35 (n = 37). Females constituted 67.9 percent of the sample. On the basis of the results it can be concluded that the young adults regard lack of trust in the Hungarian society, dissension and closeness of the society as serious problems. A more detailed analysis of trust shows that law enforcement bodies have the greatest support from the respondents while a low level of trust can be measured in connection with the healthcare system and online media. Based on the international data from round 7 of the European Social Survey (ESS) average social trust is very low in Hungary so the low level of trust typical of the young is not a characteristic due to age or other features, rather, the examined factors hold true for the Hungarian society as a whole. Based on the data of the online survey of the Hungarian young the authors find that the Score of Social Trust is significantly positively correlated with the Score of Subjective Social Environment.

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